Ill. temps expected to hit 16 below for second day

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jan. 6, 2014

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Caption

Travelers walk at departure area Terminal 3 at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014. The storm hitting the Northeast U.S. is forcing dozens of airports to delay and cancel flights. Sunday night temperatures will drastically drop to about minus 20 degrees.

CHICAGO (AP) — Illinoisans will see little relief from bitterly cold temperatures overnight, as the mercury dips to 16 below zero for a second day.

National Weather Service meteorologist Richard Castro says the temperature at O'Hare International Airport was still minus 12 on Monday afternoon, and would dip to minus 16 overnight with wind chills of about 40 below.

He says it could get even colder if the winds die down. That's because the wind mixes up the atmosphere and keeps the actual air temperature warmer — even if it doesn't feel that way on exposed skin.

Winds still were 30 mph Tuesday afternoon.

Castro says temperatures during the day on Tuesday could warm up to 4 to 5 degrees — above zero — and the wind chill warning should expire at noon.